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STORIES FOR A BETTER WORLD |
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Mission Statement |
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The purpose of this
congregation shall be to glorify God and promote Christian life and
character through worship, instruction, evangelism, fellowship and
service for this community and for the world at large according to the
teachings of Jesus Christ as set forth in the New Testament. |
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An Inclusive Church |
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The First Church of the
Brethren, San Diego, is an inclusive church, welcoming individuals of
all ages and ALL communities. Dress ranges from very casual to
traditional Sunday attire. We hope you will find our worship service
warm and friendly, and our fellowship a blessing in your life! |
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An Historic Peace
Church |
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The Church of the
Brethren, as a denomination, is often described as one of the
'historic peace churches'. Partly, this is because, since our
founding nearly three centuries ago, the church has understood Jesus'
life and teaching as leading us toward non-violence. This
understanding has included a stance against participation in war. |
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From this, came involvement in the "historic" legal struggle for the
right of conscientious objection to war in this country. As the
Second World War and its military draft emerged, the Brethren were
part of a small coalition of churches that convinced the government
that religious objection to war should be a legally-recognized status
for young men of draft age. |
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During the wars since then, many young Brethren have
continued to be Christian objectors to war. The church has always
recognized this as an individual decision. In addition, many members
of the church--men and women, young and old--have been activists and
leaders in movements opposing war and violence, in all its forms. |
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Here in San Diego, these are also traditions. During the
war in Indochina, some locally-based servicemen sought "sanctuary"
against deployment to the front lines, and our church was one of those
sanctuary sites. Currently, our church campus hosts meetings of the
San Diego Coalition for Peace and Justice. The Coalition has been a
leading local organizer of voices opposing war with Iraq, and related
policies. We helped found the Peace Resource Center of San Diego. We
established a Peace Study and Action Group for prayer, community,
study, and actions towards peace. Groundbreaking was celebrated for a
new Friends Center building on church grounds, a resource for faith
and peace activism in the community. Click on
Friends
Center for more information.
Other Important Traditions |
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are certainly other important traditions in the Church of the
Brethren. Our practice of adult believer's baptism, our Love Feast
with its communion meal and foot-washing service, and our desire to
practice simple living have defined us. In general, living the
Christian faith through acts of loving compassion towards our
neighbors, is our primary calling. Click on another way
of living for background. For more about the Biblical basis for
our peace traditions, see traditions of peace. |
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